How to correct vertical alignment on a Voigtlander Bessa T's rangefinder?

<p>Hi,<br>

I´ve been a happy Bessa user for nearly a decade: long ago using an R4M, an R3A and two T´s. They have never given me any problem... 100% lucky with my Voigtlander lenses too, the 15mm, the tiny 28mm 3.5 and the 40mm 1.4. Although I love my only Leica, a Barnack IIIf RD, it sees much less use... All I ever needed with my Bessas was adjusting my R3A's vertical alignment once, and that took me just one minute, including the hot shoe removal, gently using a simple small screwdriver for vertical alignment, as a web site explains.<br>

Today I removed one of my Bessa T's hot shoe, thinking of doing the same, a quick vertical alignment, but I sadly found I can't access that way its screws for rangefinder calibration because below the hot shoe there's no hole: no way to go through the top plate...<br>

So here I am asking if someone has ever corrected a Bessa T's vertical alignment... Unfortunately I am living in South America (Colombia) and sending a camera for service in the U.S. means a really huge risk of losing the camera before it reaches there, and not even shipping insurance helps: post companies here are allowed not to refund the price of any customer's items sent because of very high levels of corruption and unsecurity... Yes, I know it's unbelievable... So I need some guide to do it for myself or, if it's not easy (I'm no expert), I need to give some information to the only repair guy here, who's old and doesn't even use internet, but has experience with older rangefinders and mechanical cameras, but never with Bessas...<br>

Thanks a lot for any guide or comment... All stories can help!</p>

<p>Cheers,<br>

Juan</p>

<p>Perhaps writing a note to Stephen Gandy at Cameraquest.com may find you an answer. Or to Canadian Voigtlander guru Tom Abramhamsson (TTAbrahams@shaw.ca). I had a T but never had to re-align its RF.</p>

<p>Hi Arthur, I talked to Stephen just before posting here (we crossed e-mails)... I've bought from him several times, and I've also posted on his forum for years... He recommended me to send him my camera, but I just can't... I wish I could... I understood his position because that would be the safest option and that's his bussiness... Maybe Tom A. knows about the T... I guess he knows about the R4M specially, as he helped on its design, if I remember well... Let's wait and see if someone can lend a hand: the Bessa T is a wonderful camera, and as vertical alignment is something that's commonly required every certain number of years, it would be great to learn how to do it... Specially for me, living this far!<br>

Thank you! </p>

<p>Here's a <a href="http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23441">brief thread on

rangefinderforum</a> that might help.</p>

<p>It is very easy ... you remove the hot shoe and go through the top. There are three screws to adjust. Search on Huw Finney on this forum; there are old posts describing how.</p>

<p>Hi Frederick, it seems you're talking about a different camera: I explained it on my first post... Thanks!<br>

Jean-Yves: great info! I'll try to contact them...<br>

Cheers,<br>

Juan</p>

<p>Wow! I did it!<br>

Thank you all!</p>

<p>Wow! I did it!<br>

Thank you all!</p>

Hi, I just bought a Bessa T and sadly had the same issue, would you mind tell me how did you solve it?

Even thought I have never done it, some time ago I found out that on the Canon VI, and maybe other

Canon rangefinders, there is a screw in front that covers the horizontal adjustment screw.

 

For the vertical adjustment, the little round window is actually a wedge, which you rotate to

change the vertical. Presumably before the horizontal, as it will also change that.

 

Since the Bessa T has round windows, I wonder if it works the same way?

 

How does the horizontal adjustment work?